Elvis Presley’s family moved to Memphis, TN from Tupelo, MS in search of a better life. The young Elvis would have been 13 years old when he arrived in Memphis on September 12, 1948. The city of Memphis became synonymous with Elvis, and a number of locations from those early days (before Elvis became an icon) still survive today. Here is a list of Elvis-related locations in the Memphis area.
Memphis, TN
- 572 Poplar Ave– The Presley’s moved into a one-bedroom apartment here after arriving in Memphis on September 12, 1948. They moved from here to the Lauderdale Courts on September 20, 1949. Today, it’s a vacant lot.
- Lauderdale Courts– The low-income housing project in downtown Memphis where the Presley’s moved to in September of 1949. They stayed here until 1952. Their apartment (#328) can be rented for the night by fans.
- 698 Saffrans Ave– The Presley’s lived in this boarding house for a couple of months at the end of 1952.
- 398 Cypress Ave– The Presley family moved here on January 7, 1953 until April of the same year.
- 462 Alabama Ave– The location of the apartment that the Presley’s were living at when Elvis made his first recording at the Memphis Recording Service. Torn down for I-40. They lived here from April of 1953 to November of 1954.
- 2414 Lamar Ave– An apartment that the Presley’s lived in that is now a business. They lived here from the end of 1954 to mid-1955.
- 1414 Getwell Rd- The last apartment the Presley’s lived in before by their home at 1034 Audubon Dr.
- 1034 Audubon Dr– The first house Elvis purchased, and the last location of the Presley’s prior to moving into Graceland.
- Graceland– Elvis purchased this property in 1957 for $102,000 from Ruth Brown Moore. The purchase price included trading in his 1034 Audubon Dr house. Elvis died at Graceland in 1977.
- Humes High School– Although today it’s a middle school, Elvis graduated from Humes High School on June 3, 1953.
- Coletta’s Italian Restaurant– Where the King used to eat barbeque pizza.
- Sun Studios– Legendary recording studio in Memphis where Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and many more got started.